Methods and Systems for Automated Steering of Guidewires

Abstract

A method for automated steering of magnetically steerable intravascular guidewires includes accessing, by a magnetic steering control component, volumetric imaging associated with a patient. The magnetic steering control component generates, prior to an operation on the patient, a three-dimensional vessel map based upon the accessed volumetric imaging. The magnetic steering control component generates, prior to the operation, a path through a vasculature of the patient. The magnetic steering control component displaying, prior to the operation, in a graphical user interface, the three-dimensional vessel map and the path. The magnetic steering control component receives input representing a modification to the path and modifies the path based upon the received input. The magnetic steering control component directs, during the operation, at least one of a medical robot arm and a motorized guidewire advancing unit to modify a location of a magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire in accordance with the modified path.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for automated generation of three-dimensional vessel maps and automated steering of guidewires through vasculature represented by the generated three-dimensional vessel maps, the method comprising:
 accessing, by a magnetic steering control component, volumetric imaging associated with a patient;   generating, prior to an operation on the patient, by the magnetic steering control component, a three-dimensional vessel map based upon the accessed volumetric imaging;   generating, prior to the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, a path from an initial point in a vasculature of the patient to a target location in the vasculature based upon the generated three-dimensional vessel map;   displaying, prior to the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, in a graphical user interface, the three-dimensional vessel map and the generated path;   receiving, prior to the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, from the graphical user interface, input representing a modification to the generated path;   modifying, prior to the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, the generated path based upon the received input; and   directing, during the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, at least one of a medical robot arm and a motorized guidewire advancing unit to modify a location of a magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire through the vasculature of the patient in accordance with the modified path.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the path from the initial point in the vasculature of the patient to the target location in the vasculature further comprises:
 accessing data associated with a type of the operation; and   using the accessed data associated with a type of the operation in generating the path.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein displaying the graphical user interface further comprises modifying the graphical user interface to include a display of a graphical user interface element identifying a node in a plurality of nodes, wherein each node represents a location on the generated path at which there is a branch in the vessel map and through which the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire will navigate during the operation. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein displaying the graphical user interface to include the display of the graphical user interface element identifying the node further comprises modifying a visual characteristic of the graphical user interface element identifying the node to indicate that the node is an upcoming node in the plurality of nodes on the generated path. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein displaying the graphical user interface further comprises modifying the graphical user interface during the operation. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein displaying the graphical user interface during operation further comprises modifying the graphical user interface to include a display of a second graphical user interface element identifying a second node that is at an upcoming location along the path at which the vessel branches and where the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire will navigate the branch. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein displaying the graphical user interface during operation further comprises modifying the graphical user interface to remove the display of the second graphical user interface element subsequent to navigation to the second node by the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the input representing the modification further comprises receiving user input identifying a direction for the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire to take at a branch in the vasculature. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the input representing the modification further comprises receiving user input modifying an orientation of a magnetic field of a magnet in the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the input representing the modification further comprises receiving user input identifying a direction that is different from a direction included in the generated path for the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire to take at a branch in the vasculature. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the input representing the modification further comprises receiving user input confirming a direction included in the generated path for the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire to take at a branch in the vasculature. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein directing the modification of the location of the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire through the vasculature of the patient in accordance with the modified path further comprises transmitting at least one direction to the medical robot arm in a format processable by the medical robot arm. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein directing the modification of the location of the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire through the vasculature of the patient in accordance with the modified path further comprises displaying at least one direction in the graphical user interface. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein directing the modification of the location of the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire through the vasculature of the patient in accordance with the modified path further comprises directing a user to interact with a physical interface component to modify the location of the magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising displaying, during the operation, the graphical user interface displaying the three-dimensional vessel map and the generated path. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising receiving, during the operation, from the graphical user interface, input representing a modification to the generated path. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising modifying, during the operation, the generated path based upon the received input. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein directing the medical robot arm further comprises executing, by the magnetic steering control component, at least one motion-planning and optimization algorithm, to automatically calculate (i) a position and orientation of an actuating magnet in proximity to the patient to generate a magnetic field that is aligned with a user-specified steering direction and (ii) a joint configuration of the medical robot arm that corresponds to the calculated position and orientation of the actuating magnet. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein executing the at least one motion-planning and optimization algorithm further comprises automatically calculating a position and orientation of the actuating magnet that avoids collision with an object in proximity to the medical robot arm. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein executing the at least one motion-planning and optimization algorithm further comprises automatically calculating the joint configuration of the medical robot arm that corresponds to the calculated position and orientation of the actuating magnet and that avoids collision with an object in proximity to the medical robot arm. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein executing the at least one motion-planning and optimization algorithm further comprises automatically calculating a kinematic trajectory of the medical robot arm that avoids a collision with an object in proximity to the medical robot arm. 
     
     
         22 . A method for automated generation of three-dimensional vessel maps and automated steering of guidewires through vasculature represented by the generated three-dimensional vessel maps, the method comprising:
 accessing, by a magnetic steering control component, volumetric imaging associated with a patient;   generating, prior to an operation on the patient, by the magnetic steering control component, a three-dimensional vessel map based upon the accessed volumetric imaging;   generating, prior to the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, a path from an initial point in a vasculature of the patient to a target location in the vasculature based upon the generated three-dimensional vessel map;   displaying, prior to the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, in a graphical user interface, the three-dimensional vessel map and the generated path;   receiving, during the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, from the graphical user interface, input representing a modification to the generated path;   modifying, during the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, the generated path based upon the received input; and   directing, during the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, at least one of a medical robot arm and a motorized guidewire advancing unit to modify a location of a magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire through the vasculature of the patient in accordance with the modified path.   
     
     
         23 . A method for automated generation of three-dimensional vessel maps and automated steering of guidewires through vasculature represented by the generated three-dimensional vessel maps, the method comprising:
 accessing, by a magnetic steering control component, volumetric imaging associated with a patient;   generating, prior to an operation on the patient, by the magnetic steering control component, a three-dimensional vessel map based upon the accessed volumetric imaging;   generating, prior to the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, a path from an initial point in a vasculature of the patient to a target location in the vasculature based upon the generated three-dimensional vessel map;   displaying, prior to the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, in a graphical user interface, the three-dimensional vessel map and the generated path;   receiving, during the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, from the graphical user interface, input representing a modification to the generated path;   modifying, during the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, the generated path based upon the received input; and   directing, during the operation, by the magnetic steering control component, modification of a location of a magnetically steerable intravascular guidewire in the vasculature of the patient in accordance with the modified path.